


A side of fries with your nightmare?

by Moonmaath



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Crow's Nest, FFXV kinkmeme, Gen, Horror, Kenny Crow is watching, Survival Horror, thanks for the nightmares
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-10
Updated: 2017-05-10
Packaged: 2018-10-30 09:12:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10873698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonmaath/pseuds/Moonmaath
Summary: (kinkmeme fill)Prompto and Noctis just wanted to have some fun. When they sneaked out in the middle of the night to get a snack at the Crow's Nest, they didn't expect their night to take such a sour turn.





	A side of fries with your nightmare?

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Crow's Nest in Old Lestallum is a death trap (https://ffxv-kinkmeme.dreamwidth.org/3451.html?thread=2924923#cmt2924923)
> 
> _I dunno guys, but something about the dude that runs the Crow's Nest in Old Lestallum is creepy af. The way he talks about Kenny is just... *shudders*_  
>  _I just have this idea in my head of the guy being some kind of... idk, link to the unholy evil that is Kenny Crow. He waits for travellers to show up, sizes them up, and if he thinks Kenny will like them and if they stay at the hotel there, he sends Kenny after them at night to feed._
> 
> Hi guys, I'm back with a new kinkmeme fill! This is my first time writing horror, I hope you'll like it!

  


Prompto watched the scenery as the Regalia cruised down the road towards Lestallum. It was pretty, green and lush, but not worth taking pictures. The sky was overcast and the lighting would be terrible anyway. For now at least. He was still hoping for the sky to clear a bit, and maybe get a good shot of a rainbow.

As time passed and the weather remained dull and depressing, Prompto grew bored and he started to fiddle with his camera, playing with the filters and the settings. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough to keep him occupied for long and he started to shift in his seat. He was getting restless like a kid high on sugar and if this kept up he would soon resort to asking Ignis “Are we there yet?” every two minutes.

He glanced around to see what the others were doing. Ignis was driving so he wasn’t doing much except keep them alive and the car in one piece. He was fully concentrated on the task at hand, his green eyes glued to the road ahead. Roads out there could be kind of tricky when it was raining like that. Not wanting to bother their driver, Prompto squirmed back in his seat to check on the others.

He saw Gladio nose buried in his book and Noctis, well, nose buried in his phone. Neither looked up so he he went back to facing the road. Only the pitter patter of the rain kept him company in the silence of the car.

He would have tried to convince the guys to play Spot the Yellow Car if there were actually any cars out there for them to spot. Cars outside of Insomnia were way more colourful, but they were also as rare as cactuars. Okay maybe he was exaggerating a little bit but there would never be a traffic jam here in Cleigne.

“Prompto,” Ignis said, his eyes never leaving the road. “If you’re bored there’s a magazine in the glove compartment. The one you bought last week”.

Oh yeah that magazine. The one he bought in Lestallum last week… and then proceeded to forget about in favour of playing King’s Knight with Noctis. He opened the glove compartment and reached for the magazine. It was a little dog-eared from being stuffed in the small compartment but other than that it was still glossy and untouched, still exuding the crisp smell of freshly printed paper. He breathed in the chemical smell of ink and solvents as he began turning the pages.

He skimmed through the first couple pages and then settled on an interesting article. _Ten Bone-chilling Urban Legends that Might be True._ He read it quickly, hardly paying attention to the dozen of badly edited pictures littered all over the pages. They did not seriously expect people to look at a grainy old picture with a shadow on it and see a ghost? That’s obviously a hoax. And this one over there is definitely double exposure. Prompto was positive he could take more believable ghost pictures if he tried to.

When his eyes reached the bottom of the page he couldn’t stifle a giggle. He fished his phone out of his pocket to send Noct a quick text.

_Would you believe it if I told you the crow’s nest is haunted?_

The reply came almost instantly.

_Wtf?_

Prompto typed back, the magazine still laying open on his lap: _Like, if you say “caw caw kenny crow" 3 times during full moon in front of a kenny crow statue, he will appear and follow you & you must return to the nearest haven before he catches you!_

_What is he gonna do though? Stuff a bottle of jetty's down your throat?_

_Dunno man, no one lived to tell the tale!_

_Sounds very convincing. 100% true story._

It made Prompto grin. Of course this was stupid. He looked up into the rear-view mirror to see Noct was still vigorously typing on his phone. He waited until he felt his phone vibrate in his hands.

_Speaking of the crow’s nest we’ll be passing by old Lestallum soon. Wanna try to convince Iggy to eat there?_

Sure sounded like a good idea. He would kill for some deliciously greasy fries right now. He would usually refrain from eating junk food because he was afraid of putting on weight, but with all the running around and fighting they did he felt like he deserved it. And a bed. A real bed sounded like heaven.

_Oh and maybe actually stay at the hotel for once, I’m sick of camping :/_

In the end Ignis refused and despite the best efforts of the prince and his best friend, the pleas and puppy dog eyes, the advisor wouldn’t be moved. He said that they were running low on Gil and couldn’t afford to waste it when they could stay at a haven. To Prompto and Noctis’ dismay they were going to sleep outside once again and eat veggies for dinner. The latter had Noctis grumbling and huffing like a brat. Prompto didn’t miss the look Gladio and Ignis exchanged in the rear view mirror.

Prompto and Noctis watched with mournful expressions as the car passed Old Lestallum without stopping. Prom sighed and let his head rest against the window, watching the droplets gliding down the glass outside the car. Healthy Lifestyle Team won this round but the Junk Food Alliance would get their way sooner or later.

…

Turns out it was sooner rather than later.

Ignis had made soup. It tasted great as always, but when you crave something really badly nothing can satisfy you. Noctis was still grumpy at being denied. He spent the evening staring balefully at his soup and eventually slurped it down with disgust written all over his face when he got scolded for being childish.

It had stopped raining shortly before they reached the haven and the fresh smell of wet earth rose from the still humid ground. Prompto relaxed in his camping chair and watched the flames dancing hypnotically. The crackling of the fire and the soothing smell of petrichor almost lulling him to sleep.

He was starting to consider turning in for the night and joining Ignis and Gladio inside the tent but he was feeling too lazy to move. He would need a really good reason to get his ass out of this chair any time soon. Maybe he could wait and try to convince Noctis to carry him.

Noctis was slouching in his chair on the other side of the fire, leafing lazily through Prompto's magazine.

"The stuff they come up with, seriously.”

“What? You don't believe Kenny Crow is a daemonic abomination?”

Noctis lifted his head to shoot him a smile. It was mischievous and slightly crooked in the corner.

“How about we go prove these rumours wrong? And maybe grab something to eat while we're at it,” he said, closing the magazine and throwing it carelessly on the empty chair beside him.

“You really want that Kenny's Special, don't you your highness?” Prompto teased. He was feeling way more awake now, the prospect of a forbidden nightly outing more than enough to chase the sleepiness away.

A quick glance at the tent however was enough to dampen his excitement.

“Are you sure this is a good idea? There might be daemons on the road. And Ignis is totally going to murder us if he finds out we've been gone at night without telling anyone.”

Noctis seemed to hesitate for a moment but then he just shrugged.

“What he doesn't know can't hurt us.” He grabbed his jacket and the keys of the Regalia.“It isn't far anyway, just a few kilometres. I doubt we'll encounter anything too dangerous on the road”.

The road was well lit, which put Prompto at ease. They turned on the radio and listened to a catchy song that reminded them of their high-school years. They tried to sing along but it was so horrible that they ended laughing over it instead. The tune was cheery and energetic and fuelled their excitement. It had been long since the last time they sneaked out together to have fun. They used to do it a lot when they were younger. This was probably why Prompto was deemed a “bad influence” at some point.

Their awful singing aside, the trip to old Lestallum was uneventful. Prompto heard some daemons prowling in the distance at some point but they were really far away and the new headlights seemed to be doing their job of keeping them away.

They pulled into the parking lot near the Crow's nest and got off the car. They could smell the greasy goodness from where they were standing outside the diner, and the delicious smell wafting in the cool night air made their mouths water. Prompto had to grab Noctis by his sleeve to prevent him from all but dashing into the diner. He pointed to a bench where a Kenny Crow mascot was sitting. Prompto felt like its empty eye were staring right into his soul. It looked kind of freaky to be honest, no wonder there were rumours about it.

“Come on man, don't forget why we're here! We need to investigate the Kenny Crow issue.”

They took pictures of themselves with the mascot and performed the “ritual” in exaggerated voices, laughing like kids. Unsurprisingly, nothing happened. Well, except the owner intently staring at them through the window. It was getting a little bit creepy.

"A lot of young people must be trying this. Dude must be getting tired of it."

“At least he's got free publicity.”

They entered the diner, the little bell above the door chiming at the disturbance. The restaurant was almost empty, save for a middle-aged couple and a lone hunter sitting in the back. Noctis marched towards the counter, Prompto loitering behind him.

Their boots were squeaking on the chequered tiles and as Prompto looked down he realised that their shoes were still dirty from their trek between the haven and the car. They'd dragged mud all over the clean tiles. Oops. Fortunately no one else seemed to take notice, or to care for that matter.

The owner who'd been wiping a glass directed his attention on them. He put the glass down and turned to fully face them. Something struck Prompto as weird but he couldn't put his finger on it. The man was middle-aged and sported a receding hairline, nothing out of the ordinary there. Maybe it was the blue eyes. Light blue eyes could be unsettling.

"Mmm, Kenny and I have been waiting," he said, his cold blue eyes scanning them intently as he leant forward.

Prompto took a step back but Noctis didn't seem phased at all. They ordered a large plate of fries and a Kenny's 'Special' Salmon. With two bottles of jetty's to wash it all down.

"Mmmh... Kenny approves," he mumbled, almost inaudibly as he jotted down their order on a notepad.

"O-okay I guess..." Prompto answered hesitantly.

They slid in a booth near the back of the diner. It was rather comfortable though the bright red leather was kind of aggressive to the eye. They ended up fooling around, stealing each other's food and fighting for the last three fries, which Nocts promptly stuffed into his mouth before munching with great enthusiasm, pleased with his petty victory.

Prompto challenged him to a round of Justice Monsters Five to claim revenge for the stolen fries, and they ended up playing three rounds in a row. Prompto won two and he was pretty proud of himself. Rubbing his victory into Noct's face felt so great! He refrained from doing his victory dance though when he caught sight of the owner. He was still staring at them and it serously gave him the creeps.

Noctis followed his gaze to see what troubled him.

“He's probably waiting for us to leave before closing the restaurant.”

That and maybe he was getting fed up with them behaving like obnoxious teenagers.

They decided to call it a night and return to the haven before Ignis or Gladio woke up to see they weren't there. The walked to the car in comfortable silence, both of them feeling content and relaxed if not a little bit sleepy. A carefree night of ribbing and laughing did them good. It had been a while since they could unwind properly and forget their worries for a time.

They unlocked the car and got in, unaware of the eyes intently following their every move.

Noctis turned on the engine and pulled out of the parking lot. When the outpost was no more but a shining beacon in his rear-view mirror, he stopped pretending to respect the speed limit and stepped on the accelerator. They ended up staying out way longer than he expected and he was hoping to get back quickly.

His eyes suddenly caught sight of something on the side of the road. They were going too fast for his eyes to get a clear view of the shape in the dark but he could have sworn it was the Crow's nest mascot.

“Did you see that?” he asked Prompto.

Noctis heard him shuffle in his seat beside him. Probably looking around to see what Noct what talking about. Not like he would be able to see anything. They were too far away now.

“No, I didn't. What was it?”

“Nothing, forget it,” he sighed. He must be getting really tired. As soon as they got back he was going to sleep. Hallucinating Kenny Crow mascots wasn't on his to-do list tonight. Or ever.

They passed a decrepit building, probably an old, abandoned diner, just as an add for the Crow's nest started playing on the radio. Noctis didn't slow down.

The engine suddenly made a loud, sputtering noise, which startled the both of them, and it stopped running. Noctis quickly got the car into neutral and he had to hit the brakes really hard to stop her momentum before he lost control of the Regalia. The car abruptly came to a stop, leaving both young men dizzy and disoriented.

Noctis could hear his own heart beat fast in his chest in the eerie silence that followed. He turned to see Prompto holding a hand to his forehead.

“Shit, did you hit your head? I'm sorry! Let me see that,” he said, leaning in and gently removing Pompto's hand to get a look.

“It's OK, I'm fine Noctis,” Prompto insisted but he let Noctis inspect his forehead nonetheless. It didn't look too bad, just a little bit of redness, but it was probably going to develop into a nasty bruise in a day or so. They better have an excuse ready by then.

“What happened?” Prompto asked, still rubbing at his forehead.

Noctis himself wasn't sure. The dashboard told him something unlikely.

“Looks like we ran out of gas.”

“But we filled the tank at the Coernix station at noon! It should be half full. A least.” Prompto opened the passenger door and slid out of the car, turning on his flashlight. “You sure it's not the engine?”

He made his way to the front of the car and waited for Noctis to pull the release latch to unlock the hood. Prompto pulled it open and looked around the mechanical mess. The engine still exuded warmth and Prompto couldn't touch anything until the engine cooled down.

“Can't see anything wrong... Maybe there's a leak.”

“I don't think there is,” Noctis said from behind the car. There was no trace of gasoline on the road. “Maybe the gas gauge is broken?”

Prompto shut the hood and wiped his hands on his pants. “What do we do?”

“Maybe we can find a jerry can at the old diner we just passed,” Noctis offered, trying not to sound too unsure. He took a few steps towards the old building. “You coming?”

Prompto eyed him skeptically for a moment but followed him. In the end they didn't have much of a choice. They walked in grim silence, only broken by the growls of faraway daemons and the rustling of the wind through the trees. This was really not how they wanted to spend the rest of the night. As they approached the dilapidated building, Prompto started walking closer to Noctis. If the prince noticed, he didn't say anything.

“It's weird, I don't remember seeing it earlier,” Prompto commented, doubt written all over his face.

Noctis neither but he felt the need to lighten the atmosphere.“You were too busy singing like a dying garula.”

Prompto gave him a shaky smile but he kept wringing his hands and once the moment passed he was back to scanning their surroundings like he expected a wild daemon to jump them any moment. Noctis took his hand and squeezed. He didn't let go as they approached the mysterious building.

From far away it had looked like an abandoned diner, and upon closer inspection it turned out to be exactly that. It looked a lot like the original Crow's nest in old Lestallum, except this one was in ruins and had a second floor. The windows were barred with thick wooden planks and rust had taken over the facade, running in dirty tracks from the roof and windows.

There was even a Kenny Crow mascot sitting on a moldy bench. It looked in better shape than the rest. Prompto shivered and clutched Noct's hand even harder.

“I feel like it's watching us,” he whispered to Noctis like the thing could somehow hear him if he spoke too loud.

It looked like the place had been deserted for years and the vegetation was starting to grow back on the parking lot. But there was a gas pump, which was a good sign. They walked through weeds and moss and stopped in front of the pump. There was an old sign hanging from it by a rusty chain. It read: “Out of order – fuel containers available inside.”

They looked around the parking lot for a while longer, inspecting the decayed carcasses of old cars and stacks of tires covered in dead leaved and moss. They found a few jerry cans but they were empty.

“There's nothing here. But I'm sure we can find a full container in there,” Noctis said, eyes fixed on the run-down diner. Prompto didn't look enthused by the idea. He was biting his lip and looking at Noctis with wide, pleading eyes.

“Are you sure? I have a bad feeling about this.”

“What else are we supposed to do?” he asked. He tugged on their linked hands as he took a few steps towards the diner, forcing Prompto to stagger after him. “Look, we take a quick look inside and if we can't find anything we'll call Specs.” He let a beat pass. “Or would you rather call him now and get the lecture of the century?”

Prompto gulped but said nothing, still staring at the back door with uncertainty. After a moment he slowly shook his head and took a deep breath. His grip tightened over Noctis' hand and he let him guide them to the back of the building.

Noctis pushed the rusty door and it opened with a drawn out squeak, leaving them standing at the mouth of gaping darkness.


End file.
